Give 'Em Hell Kid

We walked down the pathway at the park, arms linked together with me in the middle.
“So when are you leaving us?” Cory asked kicking rocks.
“In a day or two I guess, he hasn’t really told me yet.” I shrugged.
“Are you two talking or are you giving him the cold shoulder?”
“Uncle Mikey wants me to give him a chance. I guess I will, but he’ll be on the thinnest of ice. So I’ll still be making Uncle Mikey happy while I can still be a bitch.”
“You’re not a bitch,” Cory yelled catching everyone attentions in the park.
“Well, not a mean one at least... most of the time.” he smirked, I gasped kicking him.
“Ow! See what I mean?” he frowned rubbing his calf.
“I’m going to miss you guys,” I sighed, Shannon tugged on my arm.
“We’re going to miss you too girly.” she frowned hugging me.

We spent the rest of the day at the park, kicking the little kids off the merry-go-round so we could have our fun. The times at the park were something I had always kept close to me, ever since I was little. But it was also the place that hurt the most to be at because it’s where most of my memories came from. But it was a sweet pain, at least on the days when I didn’t mind remembering my Dad which was very few. Time seemed to fly by, just like the air that was hitting me in my face as Cory spun Shannon and I around till he collapsed from exhaustion. I would remember today forever, as the last day that I would have with them for a long while. I know how he would promise me that I could visit, and how they could visit, but it would never be the same. Because you would go from hanging out, to visiting someone who no longer lived around you. With his job I didn’t expect those visitations to be something that would happen a lot, there would always be excuses and interferences. I would be leaving New York and the life I had built almost my entire life upon, just to go back to the place that Mom ran away from so many years ago. A place that I didn’t want to return to, but had no choice in the matter.

When I got back home it was late and almost all the lights were out in the house, except for the kitchen and living room where I quickly found Bob watching some random TV show.
“Hi,” I smiled softly waving as he looked up from the glowing screen.
“Hello.” he returned the wave and I headed into the kitchen. Dad was sitting there flipping through something that looked like one of the many scrapbooks Mom had made throughout the years. I sat my bag on the sink and went to the fridge grabbing a water bottle.
“I hope you don’t mind. They were sitting out,” I looked over at him. I just shrugged taking a drink.
“Mom has millions of those scattered around. If she wasn’t with me or working, that’s what she was doing. She was a bit obsessed with the idea of scrap booking.” he nodded; I stood there for a few moments before grabbing a chair and placed it next to him and sat down.
“Did you have fun with your friends?” he flipped to the next page.
“Yeah, the little kids didn’t. We pretty much kick them off whatever we want to go on. Parents normally try and kick us out, but today they didn’t. It could have been the fact that Cory was continuously shouting whore and bitch. Parents didn’t stay around long. He’s a good person to get if you need to clear a room.” he laughed turning the page. I sat on the edge of my seat looking at the picture from when I was about six.
“So who is that guy?” he pointed at the one with me.
“That was Devon. Mom dated him for a while, she really liked him and they were engaged. But he hit me one day and Mom put him in the hospital because she hit him in the head with a frying pan.”
“Why did he hit you?” his tone was a lot harder.
“I don’t remember. I guess I was whining too much, he always complained about me complaining.” he shook his head mumbling under his breath and closed it up before grabbing one from the chair next to him. I knew which one it was, because it was the only sketchbook I was able to pick out. He opened it up to a picture of me sitting on a hospital bed, before I grew deathly looking and all my hair had fallen out. He didn’t ask anything but turned to the next page which had picture from months later. My face was paler and thinner, my eyes tired.
“Were you sick?” I nodded.
“I had cancer when I was eight. It was skin cancer; it’s why I don’t go out in the sun much and why I’ve always got sun tan lotion with me wherever I go.”
“She never told us, any of us. Well she never told them. It wasn’t.... horrible was it? I mean I know that cancer is deadly but... it didn’t get that bad did it?” he stopped mid page and looked at me with sad eyes.
“The doctors thought I wasn’t going to make it there for a while. But I made a turn around and shocked everyone.” he sighed flipping through them quicker than the others, I was happy about that. Thinking about it brought back the pain I had gone through when I was younger.

We sat there for a good two hours going through them, every now and then I would have to explain a story behind a picture but it was nice. It was something that if you had told me would have happened a few months ago I would have laughed at you, and possibly hit you. But it was a night that I enjoyed, as much as I hated to admit it. Because when I went to bed, I did something the surprised the both of us as we left the kitchen. I walked up and hugged him, just like I used to when I was younger. For the first time in a long time I didn’t hate him, because when he hugged me back he kissed my forehead, and told me that I would always be his little girl. When he said that, I did the only thing that I wasn’t afraid of doing at the moment, I cried.